Los Angeles Thunderbirds Roller Derby (1970s)

I know it's not related to studio wrestling in the 1970s, but during the same time I got interested in pro wrestling, I also loved watching Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby which came on right after wrestling at 12:30 AM on WLOS-13 out of Asheville, NC.  (I have posted about this earlier.)

On this page I plan to collect some video from those days that is on YouTube, perhaps some photos, too.

But THE place to go for all things T'birds is Scott Stephens' excellent history site. Click the graphic or link below.

 LA THUNDERBIRDS FACEBOOK  |  LA THUNDERBIRDS WEBSITE

Wrestling & Roller Derby on WLOS (1970)

In the early 1970s, TV wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions was still being taped in three different locations: WBTV-3 in Charlotte NC, WGHP-8 in High Point NC, and WRAL-5 in Raleigh NC. The consolidation of television production to WRAL would not take place until 1974.

The Raleigh show hosted by Bob Caudle, titled "All Star Wrestling" went out to most of the Crockett TV markets. Some markets had a second program, and during this time, we believe that program was the show taped in High Point hosted by Charlie Harville titled "Championship Wrestling." In the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville market, we know this to be the case from audio recordings from WLOS in the early 1970s.

The newspaper clipping seen here shows a Saturday evening line-up for WLOS-13 in Asheville, NC from August 1, 1970. Included in that line-up is "Championship Wrestling" at 6:30 PM and the stars advertised included George Becker, Johnny Weaver, and  the Infernos.

Munsey Millaway

During this time, WLOS sports director Munsey Millaway and local JCP promoter Paul Winkhaus would host special promotional segments pre-taped at the local studios of WLOS that would air during the same time Charlie Harville was doing his local interviews for the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem market.

This listing is from that time period. (More on Munsey Millaway here.)

Also fun to see Roller Derby listed at 11:30 PM. I'm assuming this was the show that featured the "world famous" Los Angeles Thunderbirds that was popular during that era and featured such stars as Ronnie "Psycho" Rains, "Skinny Minnie" Gwen Miller, Ralphie Valladares, heel manager Georgia Hass and many others. When we first got cable and I could watch WLOS, "Wide World Wrestling" with Ed Capral came on at 11:30 Pm followed by Roller Derby at 12:30 AM. I didn't know it at the time, but the tapes we saw in the mid-70s were actually originally recorded and aired in the early 1970s.

Check out this earlier post on another wrestling/roller derby double feature.

Good memories! Thanks to Carroll Hall at the "All-Star Championship Wrestling" blog for sending us this clipping.

Wrestling & Roller Derby Double Feature!

TV ad from May 18, 1974

What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

For roughly a year and a half or so, I was into Roller Derby almost as much I was into wrestling. When I was watching in 1975-1976, it came on WLOS-13 at 12:30 AM Sunday morning, immediately after "Wide World Wrestling" with Ed Capral had ended.

It was the adventures of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds against some of the most dastardly teams and managers in the International Roller Derby League.

The big babyfaces were Ralphie Valadares and Ronnie "Psycho" Rains, along with "Skinny Minnie" Gwen Miller and Patsy Delgado on the girls side. El Fabuloso and Georgia Hass were the heel managers, and John Hall was the manager at that time of the T'birds. 

Here is some video on YouTube from a 1973 T'birds contest with the Chicago Hawks.

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Update: I found a great website on the history of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds published by Scott Stephens, himself once a skater.

"Roller Derby was anything but conventional.
It was dark, violent and underground.
It was non-conformist; hip and authentic.
It welcomed all races, genders and sexual orientations.
It was a "people's sport" with low salaries and admission fees; revered by the inner city working classes.
It was Rock & Roll, Funk, Goth and Punk combined and often edgier than all of them.
It was a traveling circus; a dysfunctional but happy band of gypsies including some of the most colorful characters the sports world has ever seen.
This is why I love it!"   -Scott Stephens

Sounds a lot like pro-wrestling, Scott. (Great website!)